Possessed or Not
by Alice5987
Summary: Sasuke has become a hero of the ninja world, but is secretly suffering from chronic depression.  How will Kakashi and the rest of the Naruto cast help him from hurting himself, or worse, keep him from committing suicide? .:Rated M for adult content:.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents (wish I did, I'll be super rich by now). I am merely using the characters from Naruto to make my own fanfic ^_^**

**Inspiration: This story came to me (literally out of the blue) after I watched episode 214 of Naruto Shippuden [only the beginning is similar; but there are no spoilers so if you haven't watched it yet you'll be fine]**

**Warning: Contains content unsuitable for children and maybe adults (e.g. suicide, gore, violence, yaoi, etc.)**

**Hope you enjoy! Please review so I can get a sense of what direction the story should go in *_***

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><p>"Do not become possessed by vengeance," commanded Kakashi, the final warning he carried for Sasuke; a last attempt to give the boy a chance to return from his sinful path.<p>

Sasuke lolled his head back in mirthless laughter and stayed like that for well over a minute. His face contorted into a manic expression, his body shaking from the force of his outburst. He was laughing so hard he had to bend forward to clutch at his stomach muscles, breathing harshly to ease the cramps and still he continued laughing.

Sakura stared at him in shock and trepidation. The current sight of Sasuke was something she had never seen before. He was acting completely insane-all traces of the sweet and cool Sasuke from the past gone. Sakura couldn't even recognize this man who stood before her anymore, _was this really the Sasuke she had fallen in love with all these years?_

She wearily eyed Kakashi for his reaction. The older jounin standing next to her wore a bored expression, his face revealing none of his inner tensions.

Then all of a sudden, Madara appeared atop a broken pillar on the bridge.

If the world could see behind his spiral mask they would realize that he was smiling; a wicked smile that displayed a proud arrogance towards his henchman, his pupil…his Sasuke. He had taught him well, corrupting the boy's mind, twisting his heart strings to the point that the boy no longer cared for his friends, no longer remembered his comrades and the bonds he held with so many of the shinobis at Kohnoha, he was now a fierce killing machine— and just the thought made Madara shiver with delight, it was most arousing.

"Kakashi, it's no use convincing a true avenger," _a murderous weapon_ thought Madara fondly, "Sasuke knows what's right and what's wrong in this world. And he will come to terms with the world on his own accord."

Madara jumped down from his pedestal, gracefully landing next to Sasuke and placed an affectionate hand on the boy's shoulder. Sasuke straightened instantly, ceasing his laughter but otherwise held no reaction; he was like a puppet in front of Madara.

Sakura grimaced, disgusted at the sight, while Kakashi narrowed his visible eye. Sasuke's actions were making him run out of options, pushing him up against a wall. If this continued he would have to kill both Sasuke and Madara.

Sakura watched as her sensei's brow twitched ever so slightly and turned into a frown. She inwardly gasped realizing that she had come to the same conclusion as Kakashi. That the two men in front of them, one wielding the coveted eternal Mangekyo Sharingon now drenched with foul blood and the other possessing a mysteriously hidden face concealed behind a hideous orange mask, had to be annihilated for peace to ensue in the ninja world.

"Sakura get ready," Kakashi alerted the young shinobi letting her know he was about to instigate an attack, "we'll make dozens of clones to surround and attack them simultaneously to see how they react. We know all about Sasuke's offensive techniques back in Konoha but since his departure he probably gained new ones. But we know almost nothing about Madara's so we have to be careful. Our objective is to test out their abilities and see to what extent their strengths and weaknesses are. Then you'll retreat and report back to Lady Tsunade," Kakashi said gravely. _Not that they'll allow it, I'll have find some way to help Sakura escape._

"What about you Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura in alarm.

"Don't worry about me, I'll manage."

Sakura nodded, not really trusting her sensei's words. But she knew how important it was to relay information back to the Hokage.

"One last thing," warned Kakashi, "remember not to rush an attack or take them head on, but don't pass up any opportunities either. We will use as many clones as we need for bait and distraction," concluded the experienced jounin as he began making the correct hand signals for cloning jutsu.

"Hai," said Sakura now focused on the impending battle, though her body betrayed her will as her hands visibly shook when making the signals. Her heart and mind were conflicted against harming and possibly killing the person she loved.

"Now!" Kakashi shouted and in an instance a crowd of white and pink haired clones appeared charging at their designated targets. Sakura's clones each held kunais, shurikens, and other weapons, while all of Kakashi's had ignited a chidori attack in one of their arms.

Both Sasuke and Madara shifted their stances against the onslaught of attacks and stood back to back to each other so they only had to focus on one side. Madara started sucking up the first group of clones charging at him using his teleportation jutsu while Sasuke's eyes turned red with his sharingan as he took out a knife and prepared for hand to hand combat.

When Madara had sucked up a good amount of the clones, he stopped to rest for a bit while he waited for the next onslaught. _Such child's play_ he thought. Even if the two Konoha shinobis figured out his offensive abilities it's not like they could do anything to stop him. He would never give them the chance to get close enough. Plus they had Sasuke's eye to deal with. If Danzo could be easily defeated so many times by _that_ then really the two are probably no match for him. _Speaking of Sasuke_, he wondered what his small disciple was doing. _It would appear he has yet to attack._

Unbeknownst to Madara as he was busy absorbing bodies through his eye, Sasuke was preparing himself for something very different from what Madara was expecting. After observing a few battles, Sasuke discovered that Madara's weakest point was during the recharging period between each of his special jutsu attacks. Though it was only a minor lapse of time-mere seconds to be precise-it was enough to fuel Sasuke's determination.

Suddenly a sickening squelch sounded through the air and Madara screamed in agony as immense pain imploded from his back causing him to buckle and almost black out.

There was a pause when everyone was too shocked to move and the clones came to an abrupt stop.

This was the opening Sasuke had been aiming for these past several months. The moment when Madara would become completely defenseless around him. It was the perfect time to attack while the man was vulnerable and distracted by others. Sasuke smirked, relishing in the fact that Madara didn't even know what hit him.

In the split second after Madara stopped his suction jutsu Sasuke had twirled his knife so that the blade was facing towards him instead of the clones and he launched it backwards piercing straight through the taller man's chest, successfully rupturing the most vital organ of the human body; the heart.

Madara choked violently and coughed up blood. He would have collapsed by now if it wasn't for the knife still holding him up, tearing the wound even wider.

"…Sa…su…ke…" was all Madara could manage before his head dropped and he died standing up.

"Hn." said Sasuke as he twisted the blade several times to make sure the enemy was truly dead. Madara didn't make a sound so Sasuke knew his mission was complete; the mission he had been planning ever since Madara first came and told him about the truth behind Itachi's death.

He swiftly drew the blade out and listened as Madara's lifeless body slumped to the floor.

Kakashi and Sakura widened their eyes in shock, not knowing how to react to the scene that just unfolded before them. But before they could gather their senses, Sasuke performed another act even more incredulous than the one before. He raised the now bloodied knife to his own chest.

"Wait Sasuke!" shouted Kakashi as realization dawned on him.

"Sasuke...?" called Sakura fear saturating her voice.

Sasuke looked at them both, his eyes no longer red or filled with hatred; they looked normal save for the tinge of sadness in them as he smiled at his past comrades, a truly genuine smile.

"Now all the Akatsuki members are dead and Konoha and the rest of the ninja world will be safe, "he said, his features visibly relaxed as he spoke, his tone sounded relieved yet the unfaltering hand that held the deadly weapon never departed from its intended target.

"Sasuke, put the knife down," said Kakashi in a solemn tone. His body was still and tense as he racked his brain for a way to approach him before the boy took his own life.

Sasuke shifted his eyes staring straight at Kakashi's, his long revered and respected teacher, "Sensei, I want to thank you for everything you taught me. I have always been proud to be your student. You helped me learn to overcome my desire for revenge and to remain strong in the face of adversity and it is because of this strength that I am able to carry out Itachi's last wishes and die knowing that I have brought pride to the Uchiha Clan...arigatou..." he whispered the last part, slightly overwhelmed by a feeling he couldn't quite place.

"No…" sobbed Sakura as she registered Sasuke's words. Kakashi's mind was going into overdrive trying to think of a strategy that would prevent Sasuke from his suicidal intention and at the same time not alert his attention nor accelerate his process.

"Sakura," Sasuke said as he turned to her now.

Sakura looked at him tears streaming down her face.

"Forgive me for not being able to reciprocate your feelings, but I'm sure one day you will find someone who will bring you true joy instead of sorrow," he smiled at her pausing, almost pondering before he continued, "do you remember those parting words I said to you two and a half years ago?"

Sakura could barely nod as the force of overwhelming feelings sought to suffocate and restrain her movements; her face was scrunched up in anguish as the tears dropped relentlessly.

"Well I want to say them to you again because that's how I've always felt. Arigatou for being my tomodachi-," said Sasuke with an air of finality.

Sakura collapsed to the floor crying loudly. Kakashi tried one more time, desperately trying to knock some sense into his student who he could see possessed no reason to end life prematurely, "Sasuke listen to me, you have accomplished a great deed for the entire ninja world. It wouldn't even be surprising if you became the Hokage. Think about all the possibilities your future has. Don't just throw it all away." _Please..._

The wind picked up and coolly caressed his cheeks as Sasuke reveled in the sweet freshness the air brought him. It cleared his mind of all the burdens he had carried ever since leaving Konoha, he had finally accomplished everything he had set out to do. He once thought he could be content, but now he realized he could never get past the pain of losing everyone he loved; it was too much for him to bear.

"I'm sorry..." Sasuke said evenly as a teardrop rolled down the side of his face, "I know I should be rejoicing now but I can't find the strength to live on knowing that I killed...Itachi…" more tears escaped Sasuke at the mention of his brother's name, "…for all the wrong reasons..."

Sasuke trembled from sadness, the tip of his blade piercing his skin and drawing blood, bringing welcome reprieve.

_Fuck it _thought Kakashi as he ran towards his beloved student. There was no time to think anymore, he just needed to reach Sasuke before anything drastic happened. He could only hope that Sasuke would hesitate long enough for him to make it across the bridge.

Sasuke was no longer aware of the outside world; he was only attuned to his own grievances now. _Soon it will all be over _he thought as he thrust the blade into his chest and immediately fell into darkness. The last thing he heard was Sakura's scream and a firm pressure on his hand as he drifted into oblivion.

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